Good evening Positives,
For the first 55 minutes of the game against Everton today I admit I was apprehensive. A game against the Toffees for which every tradition and statistic had marked down for a home win, and probably a confident performance from us, had gone awry. Our football during that 55 minutes was wayward, our passing was scrappy, our defensive organisation shuddering.
And the visitors, a team we have beaten regularly and by a significant margin as stated, WERE NOT THAT BAD FOR ONCE. That Petr Cech had performed so well throughout those 3,300 seconds of early action meant my mild discomfort was not replaced by the vice-like testicular pain of being 0-1 or 0-2 down. No.
To be fair Arsenal did get over the half way line during that first half from time to time, but we did not rattle EFC. 0-0 at half time was right. And in the opening 10 minutes of the second half we were pinned back in our half. I saw Dave on here earlier pondering the half time talk for Unai Emery. If that first ten minutes of the second half were to be relied on the coach and the players may as well have been doing a jigsaw together. It all began to look a little tricky.
And then I was delivered. A swift interchange of passes on the edge of the Everton Box, a change of position of Auba and Lacazette ( no doubt worked out over the jigsaw) freed our French striker to curl his beauteous opener. The quality of the goal the absolute difference between Everton and Arsenal today. Where our opponents had half chances they fluffed them or Cech managed to get in the way. In sharp contrast Alexander put his half chance away inch perfect. As I saw pointed out later on the TV Laca did not even look toward the goal from receiving the ball, to the net bulging. The Frenchman’s instinct had the goal exactly in his mind’s eye, and his foot did the rest. Goals of that quality win matches, as today, and even win titles and cups (on occasions).
After that decisive moment the game continued but the result had been decided. Marco Silva’s lads were done. Their effort was maintained but their confidence had been popped, and never recovered.
An error by the lino gifted Arsenal a second but even without the official’s largesse I think we had broken them. The game rolled on, they pressed for a consolation marker but even there Cech was resolute. A commanding performance on his 6 yard line as the crosses and free kicks rained in. A deserved clean sheet in a busy game for our first choice keeper. Man of the Match – no doubt.
Elsewhere among our lads this afternoon I was pleased with Torreira who was productive. He is still learning but he has a good mixture of steel and creativity. He also appears to be able to take a kick and carry on. Hector dominated the right hand side of the pitch as he launched attacks all afternoon. As I have said before I would like Bellerin to shoooooot more. Xhaka was his tidy self, and Moss and the Albanian barely exchanged a glance, which was no doubt a surprise to both of them.
So onwards to the Bees on Wednesday – enjoy the remainder of your weekend.
(Top picture from the excellent Stuart MacFarlane – top AFC snapper) @Stuart_PhotoAFC
Positively Arsenal 
I’ll give that a try second half, Eduardo. Cheers
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rich this stream has been the best I’ve had all season, no stoppages so far
http://firstrow1uk.eu/soccer/arsenal-vs-brentford-frsei067?l=1560012061
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HT: Arsenal 2-0 Brentford
AFC been in control for the most part without ever really hitting the heights, Welbeck with both our goals, the first a towering header early on, the second a simple finish after a flowing team move.
AFC seem to be playing well within themselves. Nearest Brentford came to a goal was in the first few minutes when Leno totally cocked up a back pass and played the ball onto his own standing foot and the ball rolled inches wide. Oh what has Cech been teaching him.
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Ed
Just out interest, are you using a VPN when you stream?
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Arsenal feck up a few great chances, and as usually happens with us the opposition score, a fine free kick from 25 yards beats Leno all ends up, Guendouzi had given away a silly free kick for a barge in the back
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SR what is a VPN
by the way had to change stream as the one I had first half has been taken down
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welbeck rightly booked for an out of control tackle
lacazette on for smith-rowe
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Seems to me all the goals Leno has conceded he has had no chance of saving them.
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Ed
Virtual Private Network. It’s a very clever internet plug-in that hides your location from your ISP, so that they don’t know iwhat you’re up to, so that you can’t be prosecuted for streaming etc.
My ISP switches me to various locations around the world. I’m based in the UK, but usually select USA for streaming games or downloading music films etc.
Excellent value at £40 per year.
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Torreira on for Mkhitaryan
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we have wasted some great attacking positions tonight, with bad passes, poor control, wrong options
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84th minute – Ramsey on for Elneny
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Ed
That should’ve read ‘my VPN switches me to various locations etc.
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another great attacking chance wasted, this time by Lacazette
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4 minutes of added time to be played
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Lacazette makes it 3-1 late in injury time, nice finish from ten yards after ball fell to him when he battled for a high ball with the CB
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FT: Arsenal 3-1 Brentford
Welbeck x2 and Lacazette with our goals, Judge got Brentford’s with a fine freekick. AFC wobbled a bit after their goal but overall well deserved the win. Mucked up a few too many great attacking positions for my liking, and were a bit too slow in our play in the first half.
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Earlier today on Irish radio Ray Houghton proclaimed that Liverpool would win “multiple trophies” this season, well they just went of out the CC so that cuts down one option for them to break their decade long trophy drought.
man utd out last night, what a pity spurs have had a late comeback v watford
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Cheers Ed. Had problems with link but got a stream on site you mentioned and it worked great, no interruptions whatsoever.
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spurs v watford gone to penalties after the hornets scored a late second
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presenter on BBC radio 5live
“this is the sort of tournament that spurs have a good chance of winning, IF THEY STAY IN IT”
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afcstuff@afcstuff
5m5 minutes ago
Arsenal’s next 6 fixtures:
Watford H
Qarabag FK A
Fulham A
Leicester H
Sporting Lisbon A
Crystal Palace A
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fuck it, spurs beat watford 4-2 on penalties
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Ramsey should have been on as soon as they scored.
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Early indications for me we may not see as many opportunities for youngsters this year, Guendouzi aside.
Can understand a new manager being extra keen to do well in any cup, plus common sense of giving minutes to seniors not currently in first 11, in part just so they all get a fair chance under him before he makes any decisions later on.
Still, delicate balance, given there’s real talent in youth ranks and an increased willingness among youngsters to move on earlier.
With strong options on bench, think that generally means a 3-0 lead required or maybe 2-0 late in game before youngster likely to get on. And if it gets hairy like tonight, you’re always going to go for the senior players.
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Rich i would say the selection tonight was little different to what we usually saw from Wenger in the cups, when fitness allowed, the 7 subs from the league game, plus any returning from injury first team players with a kid or two thrown in. didn’t we have 9 changes to the starting 11 from Sunday, and if Kolasinac and Mavrapoanos or Koscielny was fully fit it would have been all 11.
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Ed. Prob right over recent years. Was thinking more of last year when youngsters seemed to get a lot of opportunities.
I’m for very bold- 3 or so young players- selections in early rounds of league cup, because it’s so hard to get them much gametime in league now with big squads.
Can understand doing it another way,though.
Just saw a tweet by way that makes me think old John Cross may be in for some stick here next 24 hrs
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Osman
@OsmanZtheGooner
1h1 hour ago
Our 3 strikers have scored 11 goals so far between them. Auba (4), Welbeck (4) & Laca (3).
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rich re john cross
eduardo1966@edminton1966
4m4 minutes ago
Replying to @Reunewal
Cross says talks have broken down completely while Emery said in his after match press conference that talks with both Ramsey and Welbeck are on going. Remember Cross is the one who had article last season “Ozil tells friends he is joining Man Utd”. Who to believe Cross or Emery
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Rich last season when we played Championship side Norwich at home in the CC our team was
Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Macey; Debuchy, Elneny, Holding; Nelson (Nketiah 85) Coquelin, Iwobi (Dasilva 105), Maitland-Niles 5.5 (Akpom 70,); Walcott, Wilshere (Willock 113); Giroud
Macey only played cos one of our senior keepers was injured at the time. So of the starting 11 outfield players, only Nelson from the youths, rest senior squad players
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Thanks for that Eddy. Just read John Cross article and I confess my heart sank, even though I know better than to trust him. I had not yet seen Emery’s post match comments. I’ll just keep my chin up, then, and remember how “certain” it was this time last year that Ozil was leaving.
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we are only 8 games in to the season and Unai Emery has already called out the media 3 times for telling big lies about Arsenal
1. Emery stopped the groundsman from watering the pitch for the Man City game
2. Emery and Ozil had a row
3. Emery stopped Low from meeting Ozil at London Colney
Yet so many of our bloggers and big twitter accounts refuse to call out the media on their lies, in fact they much more prefer to repeat the media lies, (it makes them feel like real journos)
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eduardo1966
@edminton1966
2m2 minutes ago
Replying to @DarrenArsenal1 @johncrossmirror
Emery said in his post match presser that the club was still in talks with both Ramsey and Welbeck, but you lot would rather listen to John Cross and bash one of our players. good stuff chaps, I’d expect nothing less from yee.
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“clearly either the wenger out protest is still in full swing or AFC have priced a whole generation of fans out of going to games at the Emirates”
Industrial action and station closures had more to do with that ed. But it meant a more supportive crowd generally speaking. It was great to hear encouragement and support for our players rather than “this one’s shit, that one’s shit, he’d never get in any other team” etc, etc, that I usually have to put up with!
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passenal a lot of the time that old meme is said to mean “local” fans, young local fans, surely a bus ride is not too much of a problem when there are £10 tickets available, to all these fans who normally “can’t afford” our over priced tickets.
This is 3rd home game in a row that there has been thousands of empty seats, at a time when we are on a six game winning run, our best run of wins for a few years, with the much craved for new manager.
its simple for me, too many football fans have forgot that its “your team” that you go to the game for, not the opposition, you are a supporter, a supporter of one team, it should not matter who the opposition are, it should not matter the competition, your support for that team should not be any different.
It ties it with all this nonsense we see of fans finding fault with their team’s players, the ire that was once reserved for opposing players and dodgy officials is now somehow aimed at the very players you are meant to be supporting. Oddly enough many of those that indulge in this behavior find half and half scarves deplorable, but by attacking their own players, they are doing the exact same thing, they are half and half fans.
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caption this
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OptaJoe
Verified account @OptaJoe
3 – Danny Welbeck is the first @premierleague player to score in three different club competitions this season (League, Europa League and #CarabaoCup)
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“caption this”
“You, Wenger warned me about you!”
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“caption this”
“Hey you, I’m told you are a disgrace to your federation”
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The Tuffees not quite tough enough. They need a striker and I imagine their fans are jealous of our riches up front. Another good win last night against my local team. i do have a soft spot for Brentford and wish them well in the Championship. love to see them return to the top flight after a gap of 80 years or so.
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New post up
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